Noisy voices echoed from outside the castle. It must be the battle in the plaza. Although there was some distance to the castle, countless people were gathered, fighting. It was a clash where lives were being risked and emotions exploded. It was no surprise that boisterous shouts, continuous explosions, and the sounds of battle could be heard from afar.
In a certain room within the castle. Crocodile and Kiri sat at opposite ends of a long table, facing each other.
Kiri, having received first aid, was bandaged and somewhat dried off. While not fully recovered, he could move without hindrance. Yet, there were no signs of restraint. He sat without Seastone shackles. He looked down with a calm expression, in silence.
Crocodile, too, remained silent and still. Unlike outside, a quiet atmosphere seemed to have settled. Neither seemed in a hurry, simply existing there, as if their stillness itself was a conversation, a battle, as they faced each other without moving. However, they couldn't remain like that indefinitely. Crocodile lit a cigar and put it in his mouth.
It was Crocodile who spoke first. Kiri met his gaze directly, completely unfazed. Their quiet dialogue began in a different manner than before, and Crocodile's voice vibrated in his eardrums.
"I thought you were a bit sharper."
He spoke concisely, his voice devoid of emotion. It sounded exasperated, perhaps bored, but also something more, and Kiri, even if others wouldn't, perceived it that way. Crocodile spoke with a calm demeanor. A coldness, as if he had no emotions from the start, was evident, yet Kiri, not feeling it that way, calmly absorbed his words.
"Leaving the organization, well, that's fine. I knew you were fixated on being a 'pirate'. I could even predict you'd eventually leave as long as you were playing at being a secret society. That in itself isn't a problem. The problem is your subsequent actions."
Not anger. If anything, perhaps disappointment. Crocodile looked into Kiri's eyes and stated clearly.
"Why did you choose him? Picking up a rookie who just set sail is not like you. I told you to use whatever you could for your goal. Why did you deliberately choose someone useless? If you ask me, your choice was a bad move."
"You know a lot, don't you? Jealousy?"
"Nonsense. I simply gave a fair assessment."
"Indeed, if I were an agent of a secret organization plotting to overthrow a nation, I'd choose useful people from the start. But at that time, I wanted to be a pirate."
He answered without hiding it, a wry smile on his face. He never hesitated when choosing weapons. He utilized whatever was effective. Swords, guns, even a frying pan or pot if they happened to be there, fish-men who killed his comrades' parents, or giants who fought for their pride. He had no qualms about associating with pirates of unknown origin. He wasn't swayed by emotions, and he had the skill and courage to talk anyone into anything. He would achieve his goals by any means necessary. That attitude was something he had learned under Crocodile.
He knew that if he returned to the Grand Line, Baroque Works would be an unavoidable obstacle. It had been at the back of his mind since he first nodded to Luffy's invitation on a deserted island. When he first became a pirate, there were times when he was a bit naive due to his overwhelming joy. He was able to pull himself together after experiencing the defeat at Gunkan Island.
The discrepancy with Crocodile's statement was clear. He hadn't chosen his friends to defeat him. He acted to gather what was necessary to defeat him with the friends he had chosen. The two were similar but distinct.
Himself as a member of Baroque Works, and himself as a pirate. His way of life was definitely different, and even if his former superior denied it, he felt no shame about it.
"I learned how to live as a pirate a long time ago. 'Live freely.' I choose the friends I want to sail with, and I think about how to live with them. It's a difference in perspective."
"Hmph, freedom, huh... Your captain was a madman."
"Even so, he was undeniably a pirate."
"In the end, you're still just a kid who doesn't know how to live in this sea."
He exhaled a puff of cigar smoke. He was reminded of his younger self. He thought he had educated the foolish child, who had been soundly defeated in the Grand Line, to be useful in the future, but it seemed he couldn't change what lay at his core. The result was this. The two had reunited as enemies, and even now, they were still fighting. Not with fists, but on the entire battlefield.
The conditions for victory or defeat were clearer than ever. Steal the country, or protect it. When either outcome emerged, that would be the conclusion of their battle. There was no need to exchange blows.
He had always thought they would eventually fight. That the day would come when he, whose heart was captivated by the existence of pirates, would become a pirate again. It was a strange situation when one thought about it. That the person who had taught him everything about living in the Grand Line would become his enemy, his greatest obstacle.
"Boss, aren't you actually not living so skillfully yourself?"
"Huh?"
"The way you treated my injuries is exactly that."
He chuckled, looking down at his bandaged body. It was an attitude one wouldn't expect from someone who claimed to need no allies. Pointed out, Crocodile's eyebrow twitched.
Was it unlike him, or should it be said to be characteristic of him? Kiri, who should have known him intimately, didn't try to point out much. He simply looked at him with a calm smile, yet also without yielding. His goal was purely victory. He desired nothing else. For this moment, he even forgot about the survival of Alabasta, wishing as a single pirate.
"If I'm a kid, it's fine to stay a kid. This body is filled with things given to me by important people."
Kiri smiled brightly and provocatively said to Crocodile.
"I learned how to live as a pirate from Veludo. I learned how to live in the Grand Line from Boss. And Luffy rescued the dream I thought I'd discarded. He also gave me a fun pirate life."
Indeed, he was different from before. The bored expression of someone simply following orders was gone. The joy he truly felt for his current way of life was evident in his smile, making it clear how much he had changed.
"I've decided not to hold back anymore. I'll use anything I can to win. To defeat you, I'll use the princess and even a whole country to fight. I'll even use enemies. I'll even use grudges. No matter who I trample, this time, I've decided to see it. To see my captain become the King of the Pirates."
"Hmph... You seem serious."
"But only as a pirate. Your company's culture is boring and dull, so I'll live somewhere more fun. In the wide sea of freedom and ambition."
"Kuhahahaha."
For the first time, Crocodile laughed. His eyes never left Kiri's face, his mouth curving in what seemed like an acknowledgment. In contrast, his presence seemed to intensify.
"It seems sending you out once had its meaning. Your Haki is steadily growing stronger."
Kiri's face showed a puzzled expression at his words, but Crocodile didn't elaborate, and stood up. He casually turned his back on him and started to leave the room. He stopped just before the door. He turned only his face back towards Kiri and asked with a smile.
"Your wish will be granted without worry. Although the person in front of you might be different."
"Oh? So you haven't given up yet. I wish you had acted sooner."
"Kukuku, it's not too late. The moment I take this country will be the signal for war."
As he finished speaking and reached for the door, a voice called out to Crocodile's back.
"Luffy is strong. Even if he can't win now, he will definitely win in this battle."
"A strategist uses his mind, even anticipating the worst-case scenario. Hoping for an impossible situation is not strategy."
"This is original. It's not something I inherited. There's trust that transcends even strategy."
"Then I'll shatter that trust."
Crocodile left the room. He left Kiri alone in the room, unrestrained, unguarded, and simply walked away, returning to the throne room. Miss All Sunday, who had left the room earlier, was also there. Cobra, Chaka, and Pell still sat, bound as before. After a quick, uninterested glance, Crocodile turned his eyes to Cobra and spoke in a cold voice.
"Show me the way. To the place where the secrets of Pluton lie."
"Understood... The citizens will be saved, right?"
"Indeed. For this country will be mine."
He said simply, and looking at Miss All Sunday, she made Cobra stand. He let the two walk ahead, and Crocodile followed behind. They left Chaka and Pell, collapsed in the vast room, and the Unluckies guarding them.
Walking down the corridor, Miss All Sunday spoke. She must have been curious about Kiri. Facing forward, she asked Crocodile behind her.
"Is he alright? I don't recall restraining him."
"You don't need to worry about him. He's probably not in the room anymore anyway."
"Oh. Hehe, you're still soft on him, aren't you?"
"Don't say unnecessary things. You just focus on your mission."
"Yes. I understand."
They walked down a long corridor. They were heading not for the main entrance, but for an exit at the back of the castle. It seemed that way was closer if they were going to the royal tomb. Guided by Cobra, they aimed for the back exit and continued walking in silence for a while.
They exited the corridor into a wide area. Going straight from there would lead to the back exit. It was a slightly open space with several doors and a visible second floor due to the open ceiling.
When they reached there, Crocodile stopped. He sensed something that wasn't present in that spot. Something Cobra and Miss All Sunday hadn't noticed. Noticing he had stopped, the two also halted. Miss All Sunday looked back with a curious smile, but didn't state anything conclusive. Crocodile turned his eyes to the window on his left.
He waited, only a few seconds. A single person came crashing through the window with great force. He tumbled loudly and landed, quickly getting to his feet while holding his hat. Luffy, his eyes filled with determination, faced forward, receiving all three of their gazes.
"Where's Crocodile?!"
His first words, shouted emotionally. His voice echoed through the castle, stunning them into silence. However, in reality, only Cobra was dumbfounded, unable to comprehend the situation. Miss All Sunday smiled amusingly, and Crocodile, casting a cold gaze at Luffy, remained completely unfazed.
He had forcibly broken the wax handcuffs placed by Mr. 3, arriving at this place in a frantic rush. Looking closely at the person he found there, Luffy immediately realized.
"You... you're kind of like a crocodile, aren't you?"
"Oh my. What shall we do?"
"Go ahead. I'll be done quickly."
"Understood."
Presuming as much, she confirmed and then Miss All Sunday made Cobra walk, leaving the spot ahead of them.
They exited through the back door without anyone stopping them. After that, it became a space for only the two who were facing each other.
Luffy and Crocodile glared at each other, and the air in the room became extremely tense.
"You're Crocodile, huh!"
"And you are Monkey D. Luffy, I presume."
The opponent he was to fight had been decided from the start. Now, he finally faced the one he had to defeat, a situation both had been longing for.
Finally, Luffy and Crocodile confronted each other in a one-on-one space.
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